


The Devil’s Game

by GomenTsukkii



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, M/M, Mild Smut, Slow Burn, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-23 07:28:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20004547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GomenTsukkii/pseuds/GomenTsukkii
Summary: Kageyama Tobio. Tokyo’s infamous ‘King’, the most skilled hitman in the city, working under billionaire and owner of the luxurious Devil’s Lair Casino, Tsukishima Kei.Hinata Shoyou, a detective in training running away from his father’s past and faced with a gruelling betrayal from the only one he thought he could trust, swearing on his grave that he would never let the King fool him again.However, after Tsukishima’s mysterious disappearance, the two are captured by a third party desperate for clues to a strange murder that just doesn’t add up. Once more forced to cross paths, they put their pasts behind them, sleuthing around for secrets within the city and an unspeakable menace they thought was long gone.An inferno that’ll sweep them all to their knees.





	1. a bitter beginning

Two figures alone in the dark. One grasping his chest, the clouded look in his eyes screaming, begging for relief, an explanation to why he had let this happen, why he had let his guard down so easily like this. The other tried to stand clear and merciless, but all he could do was let his body tremble and his irises glass with deep regret, a regret he knew would never be cured.

And still, he held his ground as the smaller male met his face, cheeks wet and dripping with the side effects of betrayal. 

“You..you shot me!..”

The raven haired male blinked. God forbid he show any remorse or any sort of empathy for the man laying before him because he knew once he did, the guilt would forever be engraved in his thoughts, his memories, anything that would remind him of this very night. 

“That’s..what I was paid to do.”

He murmured, and slowly, the realization began to kick in. He saw it in his eyes, the way he just broke, and could pinpoint the exact moment that the last of Shouyou’s pride had shrunken down to drill a tiny, tiny hole in his heart. 

“Kageyama..”

He wanted to scream. He wanted to scream because the name he thought he’d never cry out in such a broken way, the name that was so deeply etched into his consciousness, was now the same very name that would lead to his demise. 

The latter, on the other hand, didn’t have time to think. Not now. All he needed to do was do what he did best. Kill. He was a hitman after all. 

His finger ghosted over the surface of his steel gun’s trigger, whole hand quacking as he felt his throat grow increasingly tighter with each passing second. The other figure braced himself for the pain, backing up against a wall even if he knew it would do him no help at all. It was a silent plea for help, begging for the hitman to get it over with so he wouldn’t have to live with all that he’d put him through. He was ready to die. 

But at that exact moment, Kageyama knew. That this, this was the one thing he couldn’t do. He gritted his teeth and lowered his gun. He’d curse at himself later for not getting the job done, but for now, all he wanted to do was assure one thing. That Hinata Shouyou would live to fight another day.

“Hinata, we’re being watched.. Run before it’s too late..” 

As he let out one more shaky breath, the smaller male let go of his chest, letting his fresh scarlet hands graze along the rough concrete as he struggled to even stand.

“Hah.. I always knew you were never the good guy, huh? I just chose not to believe it.” 

And with that, Kageyama Tobio had no choice but to savour the last glimpse he would ever catch of Hinata Shouyou, cursing to the universe for letting his own weakness grasp ahold of him in such a way that would leave the both of them wounded for years and years. 

——————————-  
Kageyama Tobio was a wolf in sheep’s skin. Despite having a lack of experience himself, he had been playing the game of innocence for years. At the age of 10, he was left with nothing after a strange illness had grasped ahold of his mother and pulled her six feet under. Without a father to care for him, the young boy was taken in by his careless grandparents who seemed to do nothing these days except eat and sleep. 

And so after playing his cards right, he lived the life as a devil in disguise. A young thief. Trudging along from store to store, Tobio would somehow find a way to distract naive employees and shove whatever it is he needed into his pockets. And that was the way life was for Kageyama Tobio. Quiet and peaceful, maybe even too quiet.

Although, Kageyama knew. He knew that there was something more beneath the surface, an itch he needed to scratch. He already had that brilliant mind of his, he just wanted to become something. No, not just something, someone. He wanted control. He wanted the whole world upon his reach, puppet strings wrapped around his calloused fingers as he tugged upon the little wires that bonded life and death so strongly together. 

And that’s how he became acquainted with the notorious Tsukishima Kei. A man who knew control like it was his own last name. A man who had power, glory, and influence over those below him. All he needed was one thing. One more thing to complete that little puzzle of his. Tsukishima Kei needed vengeance. 

11:12 pm 

Kageyama felt guilty, which was strange. He knew that emotion as a hitman was a weakness, but it was there, leeching the life out of him which only lead to more and more guilt. He didn’t even know why. Why it affected him so much like this.

No, he was lying to himself. He knew. He shot someone who trusted him with his life, someone who was ready to die in his hands whether he was willing to admit it or not. He shot Hinata Shouyou. He could have thought about it all day, the way he was sprawled out on the concrete all pale faced and teary eyed, but he didn’t want to. Not after that. 

And it appeared that Tsukishima had felt the same way, his eagle eyes scanning the latter up and down, looking for some sort of long awaited answer from his personal hitman. Swallowing down the lump in his throat, Kageyama finally gathered up enough strength to speak.

“Sir, I-“

“Remind me how many times I’ve told you? Just call me Tsukki.” The hazel eyed man sighed nonchalantly as he ran his fingers through his hair, already tired from the minutes of silence between the two. Kageyama could only nod. He wasn’t sure why his boss, Tsukishima Kei, one of the richest men in Tokyo and owner of Devil’s Lair Casino would refuse such a nickname like that, considering the fact that he was so caught up in himself. 

But even so, that wasn’t what he cared about right now. All he could picture was Hinata, clutching at his chest, heaving for air as he ran and ran to wherever his feet would take him. 

“I take it that you killed him successfully, looking so guilty like that.” Tsukishima tipped his head to the side and raised his brow, letting out a huff of entertainment as the strange silence between them became almost unbearable once more.

That’s one of the many, many thing he hated about his boss. He was so damn observant and seemed to know everything there is. Well, seemingly everything.

“Yes. It’s been done.” Kageyama fiddled with his fingers and tried to do anything to not meet Tsukki’s harsh gaze. He was a bad liar and Tsukishima knew it. However, it just so happened to be Kageyama’s lucky day, because the blonde shrugged it off, thinking it was just silly old him feeling guilty as always.

Anyhow, he still needed to make sure.

“Hm, now usually I’d trust you, but I’d need some kind of proof to believe this. My spies said they only heard one gunshot.” Kageyama blinked and let go of the breath he wasn’t even aware that he was holding. Good thing he planned ahead. 

Hands fumbling around his suit case, he pinched a bag between two fingers and held it up in front of Tsukishima, the sides of his lips curling into an unwavering grin once he realized what was inside it. Hinata’s black and white striped tie splattered in fresh scattered blood. One of the many things he had left behind while on his way to escape. 

Tsukishima smirked. An eerie sight, Kageyama had to admit. The blonde let his tensed shoulders come loose and placed his hands on the mahogany desk separating the two, letting his fingernails tap against the wooden surface. 

“And the body?”

“It’s been properly disposed. No evidence will be traced back to us.” Kageyama concludes, making a mental note to always say something to reassure his boss because he knew for a fact that he’d keep firing questions at him until midnight. 

“Good, good.. Just know Tobio, if you’re ever lying, it wouldn’t end well for you, now would it?” Kageyama nodded solemnly, digging his fingers into his palms so hard that they formed crescent shaped scars afterwards.

Damn you, Tsukishima. 

“Ah, but I know my favourite little devil wouldn’t! This’ll be amazing news in the headlines, don’t you think? Ha, just wait until I shove this into those stupid Crimsons’ faces!” Tsukki stood, looking awfully proud of himself with his hands placed firmly on his hips.  
“ ‘The Crimson’s Organization has failed to protect the citizens of Tokyo once more!’ Ah, that would be a scene, don’t you think, Tobio?”

The blonde then made his way to his board, letting his calloused fingers run across the dusty surfaces of old newspapers of several different crimes pinned front and centre, all seeming to have something to do with the failure of Tokyo’s infamous investigational group, Crimson’s Organization. Kageyama scowled. He was beginning to get impatient.

“With all due respect sir, that’s not-“

“I was joking, idiot.” 

Not a single chuckle in the room.

Tsukishima pushed up his thick-framed glasses to the bridge of his nose and repositioned his tie, rolling back his chair to face Kageyama once more. Kageyama, his brows furrowed and his neck shining with sweat from the nervousness and tension around the room, parted his lips to speak. After all that, he sure had some questions he needed to spit out.

“Must be wondering why he was even worth our time?   
Kageyama pursed his lips together to hide the gritting of his teeth, silently praying that he wouldn’t unleash his impatience and punch his idiot boss all the way to the moon. 

“Hm, quiet today, are we? Fine. This once, I’ll entertain you.” Tsukki scowled at the latter man’s strange reaction. Shuffling through a pile of documents to his left, Tsukishima pursed his lips as he pulled out a burgundy file, marked with a bold red X straight across the middle. Making sure his personal hitman was paying attention, he cleared his throat and opened the file right in front of him. 

“Hinata Shouyou, a detective in training. The eldest child of Hinata Itsuo, otherwise known as his given alias, Inferno, the leader of a northside gang. Sound familiar now?”

Tsukki asked in a composed manner, his face softening once Kageyama nodded harshly at the familiar name. He was in highschool when the Inferno killings occurred. Even the name struck fear into people’s ears, as if the ringing of blood would be heard every time the word was whispered. The killings were a chaos - the only thing that would stop him from going out so often. Until, well, Inferno’s mysterious disappearance. 

Nobody cared how or why he disappeared, it was just that he disappeared. And thank god for that, because that was all that mattered. 

“He was described to have dark auburn hair and bold amber eyes, similar to that of a burning flame, along with a tattoo of a pitchfork across his chest. As you know, Inferno was famous for several killings all across Tokyo..” The blond paused, his eyes glazed over like shattered glass.

“Including the one of my own brother, Akiteru.” 

Seconds and seconds passed, the silence once more ghosting over the room’s atmosphere of tension. Yes, he remembered the day clearly, the day that the unstoppable Tsukishima Akiteru was found dead next to a pile of his jumbled organs. It was way back when him and Kei had barely aquatinted themselves, but he wished it didn’t end the way that his boss was screaming over his cold, dead body. 

But still, Kageyama didn’t understand. Hinata wasn’t Inferno. There was no way he would do even a pinch of the treachery that his father had put the city through. 

“Rumour has it that before his disappearance, he sent out for his son to finish the job..” Tsukki mumbled, fiddling with his fingertips, looking as if he was sweating bullets. Kageyama, on the other hand, wasn’t so composed.

“All that- Just for a rumour?! Kei, do you have any idea how bad this’ll make us look?!” Kageyama slammed his hands on the desk, his nails gripping at the scattered paper until they tore, bringing himself to his feet to overshadow the confused Tsukishima Kei. God forbid anyone unleash their anger on Tsukishima Kei. However, all Tsukki did was grin once more, a malicious glee hiding behind the edges of his ivory teeth. It was as if he wanted the raven haired male to burst.

“Calm down, King. Sit your ass back down before I make you see who’s really in charge.” Tsukishima stood, grabbing ahold of his tie and it was clear right then and there that it was true, he was indeed the one who had real authority over Kageyama’s actions. He scoffed and did as he was told, swiping the blond’s hands away as he shrunk back down.   
“And let me remind you how eager Hinata was to help you ‘kill’ the famous Tsukishima Kei! Which was an amazing plan thought out by me, of course.” Kageyama buried his head into his hands, silently praying for the night to end. 

“Because you were after him, boss..” He grumbled, using up all his remaining strength to keep himself from rolling his eyes. Tsukishima Kei - truly the 8th wonder of the world. 

A little laugh escaped from his lips, short and sweet.

“Hmf, always so stubborn. Makes me wish I had Yamaguchi here instead of you.. Always complying to my requests and such..” 

Those were demands, not requests.. 

Kageyama deadpanned in his head, something he wished he could say out loud but, well, couldn’t. Or else his boss would yank his tie from around his neck without hesitation. Tsukki leaned back on his chair and yawned, pulling out a cigarette and stopping to light it while somehow focusing his attention on Kageyama at the same time.

“What I’m trying to say is that I had reasons and so did you, if you were willing to kill someone you grew so attached to just for a bag of money.” Tsukishima stated with his infamous cheshire-cat grin, holding his dimly lit cigarette in between his fingertips, the only source of light in the room. 

However, it was enough light for the nonchalant blond to catch sight of Kageyama’s current features. His teeth gritted once more (and this time, he wasn’t so keen on hiding it), his calloused hands balled into fists, and his coal-black eyes glowing with a deep anger that only Kageyama himself could express. 

“You don’t know shit, Kei. You don’t know the shit I had to do to satisfy your pompous ass.”Kageyama exhaled, obviously wanting to compose his anger, but didn’t do such a good job on the other end. He forced his eyes shut, cursing at himself for how weak he sounded. Tsukki glowered, the bitter smell of the cigarette’s flavour lingering in the air. 

“Idiot.. Some kind of hitman you are..” 

And just like that, the room was flickered to it’s original state of silence. Kageyama shut his eyes for a short heartbeat and Tsukki simply minded his attention on the puff of smoke escaping his peach tinted lips. 

11:42. This whole mess of a meeting took half an hour to sort out. All Kageyama was waiting for was his cue to leave, but the only thing the blond could do was sit pretty like he was the only one in the room. Paying no mind to the other man, Kageyama stood and straightened out his tie, clearing his throat to make sure his boss knew he was still there.

However, he didn’t say a word, and so the sable-haired hitman turned to leave. As he swung open the door, Tsukki spoke up.

“Tobio, hold on. I wanted to tell you that I’ll be on a break this summer for quite some time. Maybe that’s what we both need, hm?”

Kageyama stopped in his tracks, already halfway out the door.

“Right.” He murmured, barely loud enough to hear. It was rare that Tsukki would take a break himself, so he made a mental note to himself to savour the days without steel guns and cashmere suits. 

But before he could leave, there was one thing he was missing. One thing he needed to make whatever he did even close to being worth it. And even so, he knew that none of it would ever account to the bullet he shot straight through Hinata’s chest.

“Oh, right. Your money. It’s already been delivered to your apartment by one of my spies. Now go on and enjoy your break!” Tsukki spoke, gesturing for his hitman to step out of the pitch black room. 

Kageyama nodded once more, swiping the stray strands of raven locks out away from his eyes and lifting his briefcase so it was side to side with his right leg, aching from the amount of time he spent sitting still on a spineless chair. He was just about to swing the door shut when Tsukki lifted his head to speak again.

“And Kageyama? Is it just me or do I still not feel at ease despite Hinata being dead?” Tsukki questioned, tapping his pen on his slightly chapped lips and looking as if he was very, very deep in thought. Kageyama paused for a second. Was this some kind of test? He shook it off and shrugged, his hand already fixed on the golden doorknob. 

“Neither do I, Tsukki. Goodnight.”

And with that, the door was shut, but even as he left, he could swear that he could feel the intensity of Tsukishima’s glare behind his back, following him wherever he desired. That wherever he went, he’d be there. Whatever he did, he would know. Tsukishima Kei wasn’t one to forget and he made sure of it.

And he would forever remember that night, even if that was the last time Kageyama Tobio would see him in years.


	2. cold money

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> thoughts of the past and a late night gamble ends with disaster.

“Japan, Tokyo.A city believed to have one of the most highest crime rates in the world! Isn’t that right, Yuuto?”

“Yes indeed! With all the gangs and gambling, it isn’t quite a huge surprise. There always has to be something going on in this bustling city we live in, hm? A lot of unsolved mysteries too, I reckon.”

It was midnight and Kageyama was sprawled out on his ivory couch, shoving the last handful of popcorn in his mouth. The only thing illuminating the room was the high definition tv screen and the digital clock nearby, the only things that kept Kageyama in check with reality these days. He sighed and reached out for the remote, shutting off the tv and cutting off the news anchor’s overly enthusiastic voice with a single click.

Every hour of every day, the same cycle would repeat. He’d wake up in his spacious apartment, fix himself a little breakfast, and read, sleep, or on a night like today, watch television until his eyelids gave in to boredom and exhaustion. No need to work too much except for the usual paperwork; the money that Tsukishima had handed him to do his dirty work had really paid off.

Though surprisingly today, Kageyama wasn’t tired at all. There was just something ticking in that mind of his that wouldn’t stop. Something that seemed off. Maybe it was the fact that it had been an excessively long time since he’d actually done any of his hitman business, or maybe it was because the last time he Tsukishima Kei was when he sent him off to kill the son of a notorious serial killer. That had been two years ago.

_I always knew you were never the good guy, huh? I just chose not to believe it._

After all those months following, Kageyama had come to the conclusion that Hinata Shouyou was an idiot. He should have trusted his gut. He should have never trusted him the way he did, he should have never ever opened up, he should have-

Kageyama shook his head and scoffed. What he did was in the past and what he did was what he had to do. Hinata was nothing more to him than an acquaintance. Not a friend, not a shoulder to lean on. An acquaintance.

A soft ding filled the room and interrupted his thoughts.

Bokuto 🦉: Care for a late night gamble ?

Kageyama smirked.

Kageyama: Always. You’re going down, old man.

The raven haired male grabbed the nearest coat and made his way to the Devil’s Lair without hesitation.

__________

The lights. The cameras. The action. All 3 things Kageyama relished in as men and women alike stopped to watch the two wager in their bets for a simple game of poker. Bokuto was a natural. Experienced and all-knowing, he was known for cashing in thousands almost every night. Despite his friendly nature, he could read anyone with ease and manipulation.

Kageyama looked up and met the twinkle in his eye. He swept his gaze back down, cards gripped tightly in his hand.

“Aw, didn’t wanna end this so soon, Yama! All in.”

Bokuto sighed and let his tense shoulders fall loose, letting an obvious frown framing his mockingly sad expression.

“Hm, alright. All in.”

Kageyama smirked. Bokuto’s only flaw—underestimating his opponents. Kageyama relied on pure luck and risk when it came to gambling. And pure luck was what he got.

He flipped over his hand and soaked in the applause. A royal flush. Bokuto couldn’t help but smirk in return, tossing his cards aside with an impressed glint in his widened golden eyes. As the applause died down, he dismissed the watchers with a simple wave of his hand.

“Man, I can’t believe I lost a million yen to a rookie!” He frowned, shuffling the cards in between his hands. This would be a bruise to his ego for sure.

“You think I wasn’t serious when I said you were going down?”

“With all due respect, kiddo. That’s not something a multimillionaire takes very seriously when gambling with someone half his age!”

“You’re only 11 years older, Bokuto.”

“Huh.. Guess you’re right about that one, kid.”

Kageyama couldn’t help but grin at his companion’s slight stupidity. He didn't like to show it, but deep down, he enjoyed the older man’s company, despite his dense personality.

“Hey, you hear from your boss yet?” His eyes widened at the mention of Tsukishima; it was always a sensitive topic for anyone, as long as his whereabouts were unknown. For all they knew, his cold, dead body could be lying in a ditch somewhere.

“Not at all, you?”

Bokuto shook his head, his brows furrowed together in a worried mess.

“He told me to keep this place running while he was gone, but it’s hard! I’m uh, not really good at business stuff, you know.” He chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head.

“I miss that little guy! Don’t you, Yama?”Kageyama snapped out of his thoughts and shrugged. He liked to think that Tsukki was just a source of money for him, but he had to admit that everything ran much smoothly when his boss was around.

“He’s alright.” He smirked in his head— that was an overstatement.

“Ah, that’s what I like to hear! How about you? How are you holding up?” Bokuto picked at his oversized grey hoodie and fluffed up his already messy raven hair, much to Kageyama’s annoyance.

“I don’t know, something about this outfit screams ‘help me, I’m homeless and spent my last few cents on a cheap stripper.’”

Kageyama rolled his eyes.

“Okay, an expensive stripper?”

“I don’t take fashion criticism from someone half my age, Boku.”

“But I’m only- Oh, ha! I get it!” Bokuto chuckled, almost a little too loud, which definitely turned a few heads.

_Dumbass_.

Kageyama sighed and stifled back a yawn, waiting until his companion’s laugh died down until he spoke.

“I should go. 3 am.” Bokuto nodded, straightening out his tie and handing the raven haired male a fresh stack of cash in his hand for his winnings.

“Take care of yourself! And let me know if you hear from Tsukki, alright? I haven’t gotten a reply in two whole years! Can you believe that?” Kageyama shook his head and waved him goodbye, quickening his pace before Bokuto had another chance to tell him another one of his over-exaggerated tales of the Bokuto Koutarou and his notorious “partner in crime”, Kuroo Tetsurou.

Fiddling with the money in his pocket, Kageyama headed towards the exit, ignoring the attempts of conversation from other famous gamblers in the building.

Bokuto was right. The atmosphere sure was different without Tsukishima. Life was quieter. Maybe a little too quiet. Not that Kageyama ached for chaos or anything. He was so sure that he’d change for the better without his boss pulling his strings, but now, all he missed was the cold, sleek feeling of a new silver pistol in his calloused hands. The power he gained with a gun in his hand was equivalent to that of Tsukishima’s glory over Hinata’s ‘death’. The feeling of his finger grazing the trigger, the muzzle pointing straight at his target. And finally, the sound of-

A gunshot. Ringing. Panic. The screeches of terror filling his ears, and this time, he knew he it was reality he was hearing. He could feel his heart beating through his chest-

No— he could feel it in his stomach, a supernova waiting to explode. With each beat, the chaos grew louder, the footsteps in synch to his strongest organ’s pounding, and everywhere he looked, all he saw was a blur of gold, silver, and red.

_Red. Too much red._

More gunshots.

_More red. Blood. Crimson._

The floor beneath him began to sway, but he couldn’t move. He was frozen. Bokuto. He had to find Bokuto. He grabbed onto a nearby pillar to steady himself. He had no time. He saw a flash of black and white and gold. Bokuto. He was running, but they were behind him, grabbing him while he fought out of their grasp. With a sharp punch to one’s jaw, he was free. He was far. Too far.

But Kageyama ran towards him anyways, beckoning him towards the exit. Bokuto was running, but so were they. Another gunshot. Bokuto was down. Crimson pooled around his body. Crimson. Too much crimson.

Kageyama didn’t want to look, but all he saw was Bokuto’s lifeless body.

_Why isn’t he moving? Why is there so much of them? What do they want?_

Kageyama swung his head around, frantic, and again, he froze.

_Move, Bokuto! Why aren’t you moving?_

Sweat trickled down his neck and just like the others, he screamed.

_Why was he screaming? He was used to this. Why?_

“Shut up, Tobio. We’re not going to hurt you.”

A pair of cold hands wrapped around his neck. Now, he was really frozen. It was only a matter of seconds until blackout. Asphyxiation.

He kicked, punched, anything to get the roughened grip off his neck. Kageyama felt his vision starting to go black. All he had was 5 seconds at the most. 5 seconds to get out and run.

Five; a tighter grip.

Four; he grew even weaker, but he couldn’t back down.

Three; the sound of rapid footsteps approaching.

Two; he didn’t want to die like this.

One; a pair of sharp hazel eyes. The last thing Kageyama saw until he fell loose into the arms of his capturer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> took a while to write this chapter ! okok i decided to continue this after the feedback i got and maybeee this’ll be a long term fic? idk, got the whole plot planned out but it takes so so long to write these chapters ;(
> 
> a/n: poor kags. any guesses on who captured him? ;)

**Author's Note:**

> hi! this first started off as a short story, a concept, then i decided to develop it into a longer fic. i started writing this a longgg time ago, but im torn on whether i should continue it. 
> 
> let me know ?


End file.
